Perhaps the most significant reduction in pollution has been the near-total eradication of environmental lead. Just about all urban or suburban baby boomers grew up with significant lead exposure from auto exhaust. There is an interesting statistical correlation between the declining rates of violent crime (yes, despite what you see from our hysterical media, violent crime’s been dropping for over twenty years; they just give more air time to fewer events now) and the coming-of-age of the first cohort of urban/suburban males who were not exposed to lead as children. Correlation does not always mean causation, of course, but in this case there is also a plausible mechanism: at low exposures, lead is known to cause a reduction in self-control and an increase in violent behavior. It’s probably not the only factor, but it’s probably not insignificant, either…
The pollution in the rivers would have laid aliens low too. The Cuyahoga river was so polluted it caught fire in 1969. There were signs put up NO smoking within 500 feet of the river. The Ohio and Monongahela were sludgey messes with unidentifiable chemical pockets, and have only begun to revive a little in the last 30 years. The Elk and Kanawaha recently were so polluted by one tank of chemicals it affected 6 counties water supply. No dear Odom don’t land in or near the water either.
apcomputing over 9 years ago
By the 80s, most had gotten their sh!t together. I was there in the late 60s. Bad Bad stuff.
puddleglum1066 over 9 years ago
Perhaps the most significant reduction in pollution has been the near-total eradication of environmental lead. Just about all urban or suburban baby boomers grew up with significant lead exposure from auto exhaust. There is an interesting statistical correlation between the declining rates of violent crime (yes, despite what you see from our hysterical media, violent crime’s been dropping for over twenty years; they just give more air time to fewer events now) and the coming-of-age of the first cohort of urban/suburban males who were not exposed to lead as children. Correlation does not always mean causation, of course, but in this case there is also a plausible mechanism: at low exposures, lead is known to cause a reduction in self-control and an increase in violent behavior. It’s probably not the only factor, but it’s probably not insignificant, either…
ursen1 over 9 years ago
The pollution in the rivers would have laid aliens low too. The Cuyahoga river was so polluted it caught fire in 1969. There were signs put up NO smoking within 500 feet of the river. The Ohio and Monongahela were sludgey messes with unidentifiable chemical pockets, and have only begun to revive a little in the last 30 years. The Elk and Kanawaha recently were so polluted by one tank of chemicals it affected 6 counties water supply. No dear Odom don’t land in or near the water either.
Sisyphos over 9 years ago
Fewer and fewer alien sightings these days, or at least less notice in any press other than supermarket tabloids. Not sure if that’s Good or Bad….
jnnydnti over 9 years ago
Way to promote irrational anti-biotech paranoia, Justin.